Whats the best type of Rock Tumbler?
Benefits of Rotary Tumblers • Easier to use • Can start it and forget about it • Less expensive to buy • Gets rocks rounder Benefits of Vibratory Tumblers • Can put a nicer shine on rocks • Polishes rocks quicker • Does minimal shaping of rocks • Handles fragile rocks better • Uses less grit and polish Disadvantages of Vibratory Tumblers • Have to check it at least daily • Hard to get the right slurry, especially in the coarser grits I prefer to start out in my rotary tumblers to get the rocks rounded, and then transfer to a vibratory tumbler for the last stage of polishing. Vibratory tumblers really outperform rotary tumblers in polishing difficult stones like obsidian, glass, or common opal.
